


New Equations

by watermelonsuit



Series: Warp Particles 101 [1]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Starfleet Academy AU, Studying plus synthale: not the best idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 00:24:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7596127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelonsuit/pseuds/watermelonsuit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starfleet Academy AU fluff: scenes from B'Elanna Torres' first semester at Starfleet Academy, featuring the know-it-all senior with the smile. You know the one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Equations

**Author's Note:**

> We're playing fast and loose here with actual Starfleet Academy canon and Star Trek warp factor technobabble, but if you came here for that you have the wrong fic entirely.

 

SYLLABUS: INTERMEDIATE WARP SCIENCE

PROF. HENDRICKS

WEEK 1

Textbook ch. 1, 3-4: Cochrane Equation in practice, history of warp propulsion challenges

 

ROLL SIGNED ELECTRONICALLY BY

/ _s_ /Kathryn Janeway

kjaneway2366

…

/ _s_ /B’Elanna Torres

btorres2370

* * *

 

"Hey!” The cadet whose hand was in the air practically the entire class is jogging to catch up to B’Elanna. “You had some pretty strong opinions about subspace fields. I don't remember seeing you in my classes before."

“This is my first year,” B’Elanna says and scuffs the toe of her boot against the sidewalk.

“Really? And you’re in Intermediate Warp Science?” B’Elanna glares but the other student only smiles, wholesome. “You must deserve it.”

“As a matter of fact—“

“Kathryn Janeway,” the cadet says, ever-professional, extending her hand. “Glad to meet you.”

B’Elanna shakes it, nods with a reluctant glance. “B’Elanna Torres.”

Janeway (Kathryn?) stands looking at her for a second too long, and just as B’Elanna’s about to walk away, she smiles. It’s brilliant, so kind it hurts, and memorable enough that B’Elanna can’t forget it until she sees Kathryn the next week.

* * *

 

“Cadet, you just overestimated _n_ in the equation three times over.”

Maybe B'Elanna didn’t deserve that smile, doesn’t deserve this class, but damned if she isn't going to accept that now. “But Professor—“ she nearly shouts, but she’s interrupted.

“Professor,” Kathryn pipes up, “haven’t there been experimental simulations of warp factor calculated by the temporal continuum with similar values?”

Hendricks wrinkles his nose. “This is not a class on temporal mechanics, Janeway.”

“I know, sir.”

And the class continues, though more tense for the exchange. B’Elanna is packed and ready to dash out at _Dismissed_ , but Janeway is following her again.

“You dropped your stylus,” she says to B’Elanna, and reaching to pick it up nearly drops her padd. B’Elanna catches it with grace and forces that stuns Kathryn a little, and B’Elanna’s pleased with herself when she hands it back.

“What happened, B’Elanna?”

“Would you stop being so nosy?”

“If it’s about skipping Introduction to Warp Theory, I have an old textbook.”

“Actually, it isn’t,” B’Elanna snaps.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“What is it with you? Just because you’re graduating next semester and I’ve been here two weeks doesn’t mean you can do anything.”

“I’m not graduating yet, and I’ve had one too many all-nighters lately. I could use a study partner.”

“That’s a terrible idea.”

“I’m serious.” Kathryn steps closer and B’Elanna. “Our first test is in less than two weeks. You’re a brilliant first year, and I’m Science, obviously, majoring in astrophysics, advanced theoretical physics, xenolinguistics, and engineering if I can finish this class.”

“How are you going to finish it if you keep covering for me like that?”

“I won’t. Where’s your dorm?”

“205 North Hall,” B’Elanna says without meaning to, “but that doesn’t mean you can just come over anytime you feel like it.”

Kathryn grins. “Saturday, then?”

B’Elanna nods, struck helpless again with that smile.

* * *

 

Too late, B’Elanna realizes that Kathryn didn’t tell her what time Saturday, and she spends the morning and afternoon pacing, too nervous to leave her room. Her roommate is out, at least, and doesn’t come back by the time Kathryn arrives. B’Elanna’s already pulled out her synthale and a padd, reviewed the week’s reading at least twice to prepare for whatever Kathryn Janeway will muster.

“Come in” B’Elanna says with a shot of synthale burning its way into her when the door chimes. “Hi,” she breathes as Kathryn enters.

Kathryn frowns. “How?” she asks, gesturing to the synthale.

“Lighten up, Kathryn,” B’Elanna says, bolder than she means to be. “Do you think this is the first time I’ve smuggled synthale into the dorms?”

Kathryn chokes on her first sip. “Judging by the quality, yes. And you're only a few weeks into your first year here.”

“Quality? You mean Captain Janeway, teacher’s pet in four majors, drinks synthale? I guess I thought you were more straight-laced.”

“When you put it that way, I sound degenerate,” Kathryn says, laughing. She touches B’Elanna’s shoulder, once, just briefly, and B’Elanna’s

“Maybe you are,” she jokes.

“I’m only on my first drink, B’Elanna.”

“And almost finished.” B’Elanna pushes her hair back from her face and exhales. “This is going to be some study session.”

“You need it.”

“Yeah? What’ are the components of plasma coils, genius?”

Kathryn downs the rest of her drink. “Carbon steel, verterium cortenide.”

“Only verterium cortenide.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Look it up.” B’Elanna turns the computer screen to Kathryn. Her face is much closer now, suddenly, she smells of roses and juniper. She’s going to make Ensign at the end of the year and B’Elanna will be stuck at the Academy for the next three.

Kathryn frowns again, then scrolls to another chapter. “Name and describe the location of the production of warp particles.”

“I don’t know.” B’Elanna sighs. “Maybe your all-nighters aren’t the worst idea right now.”

"Second worst. The worst is when you don’t study—and I bet you won’t, not unless I’m pushing you.”

“Fine. Ask me something else.”

Antideuterium, field generators, dilithium properties, repeat and remember. They’re shoulder to shoulder now, Kathryn sitting upright with B’Elanna beginning to lean against her, juniper and roses. Kathryn’s not reading in her usual voice, the confident one, the one that’s unmistakably Starfleet Cadet Janeway, majoring in astrophysics, advanced theoretical physics, xenolinguistics, and almost certainly engineering. She reverberates the driest formulas in the warmest tones, and B’Elanna is dozing, the synthale bottle at her elbow on the floor. She’s not sure how Kathryn ever became so comfortable with her so quickly.

“Wake up, B’Elanna,” Kathryn whispers. Her hair is mussed, strands falling out of her ponytail.

“You’re going?” she asks as she sits up.

“Yes, and you’re going to sleep. Drink some water when you wake up.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Kathryn squeezes her shoulder as B’Elanna crawls into bed, and it’s the last thing B’Elanna remembers before she falls asleep.

* * *

 

The next time they meet in Kathryn’s dorm, one night before the midterm and only after she pesters B’Elanna into giving her her Academy username to tell her where and when. Kathryn brings two giant thermoses full of coffee from the common kitchen’s replicator, and B’Elanna drops her computer on Kathryn’s bed between them as they settle against the wall.

“Couldn’t you be a bit more careful?”

“Nope,” B’Elanna says, and Kathryn looks appalled until B’Elanna smiles at her.

This time Kathryn’s head rests on B’Elanna’s shoulder, humming affirmatively as B’Elanna recites paragraph after paragraph. She mostly forgets about the coffee, and only lifts her head to undo her ponytail. B’Elanna can hear, almost feel the snap of static as Kathryn brushes her hair over one shoulder, the one opposite B’Elanna. Another paragraph explaining a diagram of an antimatter injector and then she finds herself resting her head on Kathryn’s, roses without juniper, a cafe’s worth of warm coffee. Where do the roses come from, B’Elanna wants to ask, but her voice is giving out. Kathryn nuzzles further into her shoulder with a yawn.

“Hey Captain, wake up,” she says with a nudge.

“Mmm.” Kathryn lifts her head and takes another drink of lukewarm coffee. “Antimatter containment chamber.”

“What about it?”

Kathryn blinks. “You tell me.”

“I can’t believe this. These are the least productive all-nighters ever. I thought you said you were good at this.”

“I used to be.”

“Senioritis?”

Kathryn shakes her head and her hand falls to B’Elanna’s shoulder as she moves closer.

“Me?” B’Elanna whispers just before Kathryn’s lips meet hers. B’Elanna finally breaks away with the worst puppy eyes, met only with confusion. “Sorry,” she says to Kathryn’s racing pulse, her flushed cheeks. “Haven’t you ever...?”

“Of course not.” Kathryn closes her eyes. “Oh, God.”

They read to themselves for the rest of the night, with quick glances at each other. When B’Elanna catches Kathryn looking at her once, still confused but smitten, she bites her tongue and tries very hard not to think about anything other than antimatter reactors.

* * *

 

They don’t study together anymore, but they walk together to each other’s classes. B’Elanna has a B- in Advanced Warp Science, enough to scrape by; Kathryn almost certainly has an A. She still smells of roses and coffee, though the coffee is stronger these days. A midterm goes by, and the Intermediate Warp Science final follows close behind. B’Elanna doesn’t say much in class anymore; she sits in the back and keeps her eyes on her notes.

The day before the final, Kathryn climbs up to the last row to B’Elanna.

“Well, you look terrible,” B’Elanna says, the only thing she can think to say this morning.

“Thanks.” Kathryn says, but she’s too tired to roll her eyes.

“Another all-nighter?”

“I’m more caffeine than human. More than alive.”

“That makes sense,” B’Elanna teases, then wraps her hand around the edge of her desk, waiting. Sure enough, Kathryn puts her hand over B’Elanna’s and they sit in silence for the rest of their last class together, Kathryn’s hand shaking a little but holding on tight.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks Memory Alpha for all the details! If I got something wrong that's me, not them.


End file.
